Tech president discusses slaying aftermath in letter to campus
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Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger has sent an open letter to the university community following a student slaying last month in which he addresses some "troubling" ethnically-charged commentary about the suspected killer.
The letter, in which Steger also urges students, faculty and administrators to keep in mind that college campuses are still some of the safest places in the nation, takes issue with those who have used accused killer Haiyang Zhu's Chinese background to somehow disparage the school's other Asian students.
"Regrettably, I also find it necessary to address some troubling commentary directed to the university leadership via e-mail, on blogs, or in letters-to-the-editor," Steger wrote in the e-mail that went out last night.
"Virginia Tech is an open and accepting community including many races, ethnicities, and cultures from around the world. We believe firmly that this diversity enriches the educational experience of all of our students. There is no evidence to suggest this death was in any way ethnically motivated. Moreover, it is important to note the international student community at Virginia Tech has an outstanding law-abiding history and reputation. Compared to their percent of the student body, our international students generally are extremely under-represented in terms of offenses brought to the university's judicial system."
Zhu, a 25-year-old graduate student, is charged with first-degree murder, accused of beheading fellow graduate student Xin Yang in a campus coffee shop. Yang, 22, was also from China.
-- Rex Bowman
Reader Reactions
Folks, HJackson and Curls are what is commonly referred to as “trolls”. If you don’t know what a “troll” is with regard to the internet, please refer to this definition:
“An Internet troll, or simply troll in Internet slang, is someone who posts controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum or chat room, with the intention of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic discussion.“
The best way to combat a troll is to cease feeding it. When people stop responding to these fools, they will go away.
Curls- just in case you were wondering… Harvard is actually located in a fairly crappy part of town. I’m sure plenty of stuff happens on and around that campus, it just doesn’t end up all over the Richmond news because it’s not in our area. Stuff happens on VCU owned land and around the campus EVERY SINGLE DAY… it doesn’t get plastered in the news because it doesn’t garner the same attention.
I’m very insulted that you think people only went to VT for football. I did my undergraduate work there and chose the school because of the area it was locate (so pretty!), the degree offerings (lots!) and the general atmosphere of the school (laid back but energetic, with moral). It was a nice perk that on Saturday afternoons there was a good ball game to go to. There is nothing “thug” about the school. Yes, there might be a handful of people who turn out to be a little loser-ish, but on the whole, Virginia Tech is a great school in a small town with a wonderful atmosphere that promotes a high moral standard. Can you even name anyone who you consider a “thug” besides the Vicks? (nevermind the fact that it’s already been pointed out to you by myself and others that Michael Vick was never in legal trouble in college and as soon as Marcus Vick was, they kicked him out).
Crime can happen anywhere. That’s just poor logic.
There are no Michael/Marcus Vicks at VT either.
Most students don’t attend VT for the sole purpose of watching football either.
There is something called cause and effect, not cause and affect.
MIT is an excellent school. Thanks anyway, but the faculty in Blacksburg has things covered just fine. I’ll bet you didn’t go to any of those schools you mentioned.
Sounds like you’re the one who doesn’t get it.
Curls,
What kind of environment does VT have? I mean since you know so much about it. And I belive it’s cause and E-ffect. Just to be proper. I’m not trying to ruffle everyone’s feathers, I just want to hear other people’s ideas and thoughts explained.
Crime happens in BAD neighborhoods. Blacksburg is a BAD neighborhood.
There are no Michael/Marcus Vicks at Harvard or Duke.
The people that attended Yale didn’t go to watch football.
There are things called cause and affect/relativity, etc. that have to do with one another. We can bring a professor down from MIT to explain the dynamics of relativity. Something that definitely should be taught at Hokie Nation. The environment impacts events. You guys still don’t get it.
Why don’t we have a vote, and let the students decide who they want as President. We can be democratic about it. The results will be adhered to, no questions asked. Seems fair to me.
Do you have any specifics outside of this and the April 16 incidents to support your claim that a “culture [of] thugs and misfits” exists at VT? Anything to support your claim that “Steger has elevated Beamer to such a level that his culture has become VT’s culture[]“?
When intelligent people argue a point of view, they use facts and logic. All you offer is unsupported hyperbole, so on one is taking you seriously.
As far as your claim that no one intervened in the commission of this murder (which if you’ve read the reports, happened instantly and without warning), please share with us your experience(s) taking a weapon off of an armed lunatic on a rampage.
Since you seem to know so much about the culture at Tech, please also tell us when you were last on the Blacksburg campus.
Actually, my question goes towards the failing of the admin for the second go round.
They were warned about Cho being dangerous, and did nothing.
They were warned about Zhu being dangerous, and again… did nothing.
I couldn’t care less about the football team, nor Frank Beamer. I care that Steger’s Admin has TWICE been warned about a student’s mental health, and chose to do NOTHING to investigate, or prevent, them from causing harm.
You wanna stop crime? Make criminals scared. Pass a Castle Doctorine that refuses to allow the criminals, or their families, to sue the victims when injured, or killed, during the commission of a crime.
It’s not the football team. It’s the culture that the thugs and misfits on the football team injects into VT’s reputation. Steger has elevated Beamer to such a level that his culture has become VT’s culture. When people wallow in the sewer they smell like a sewer.
What’s needed is a complete housecleaning at VT. Steger, Beamer and the rest should resign or be fired and replaced with those who have morals, ethics, honesty and embrace the idea that VT exists for education not sports opportunities for thugs and misfits.
Yes the killing was a tragedy. What’s more of a tragedy is not one big bad student even attempted to help the poor girl while she was being beheaded.
Comments on these articles are getting so ridiculous. I enjoy reading user comments that are mentally engaging but to read an article about the horrible murder of a student just to turn around and read comments about VT sports is ridiculous. VT football has nothing to do with safety on campus. Yeah we get it, everyone in America knows who Michael Vick is, who cares. More people know the football player’s names at UVA than the president at UVA, same thing at JMU and other schools, who cares though. If you’re not going to leave constructive comments why argue? Time to go read the Gilpin Court comments, they’re probably more thought provoking.
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